Our team members are leading influencers in their respective industries

These industries span business, health, technology and marketing. They oversee the organizational operations and impact of Fuck Cancer’s mission and are passionate about swearing when it comes to cancer.

meet our fuck cancer staff

YAEL COHEN BRAUN

YAEL COHEN BRAUN

Co-founder

Yael Cohen Braun is the co-founder of Fuck Cancer, a movement dedicated to the prevention, early detection and communication of cancer. Yael launched Fuck Cancer in 2009 after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and learned that 90% of cancer is curable when caught in stage 1. In 2014, Yael merged with Julie Greenbaum’s Fuck Cancer, creating one unified non-profit.

Yael herself serves as an advocate for a range of health care issues and through her work with Fuck Cancer, she is changing the way people talk about cancer by creating a human, authentic movement. Now at five years old, Fuck Cancer creates unique digital and on the ground tools and campaigns using technology, humor, and celebrities to enable their community to engage with cancer on a different level.

In 2011, Yael was named one of the “12 people who are transforming philanthropy” by Canada’s The Globe and Mail. In 2012, Yael was named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” featured as one of ELLE’s “2012 Genius Award” recipients, one of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women” by the Financial Post, and one of Vancouver’s “Forty Under 40” by Business In Vancouver Magazine.

Yael has also been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award and has been a featured participant prominent events including the Summit Series (Washington, D.C. and Miami), SXSW, Forbes Women Summit the Clinton Global Initiative, Big Omaha, TEDWomen, TEDx Vancouver, the United Nations Nexus Conference, and TEDMED.

JULIE GREENBAUM

JULIE GREENBAUM

Co-founder and CRO

Julie Greenbaum is the Co-Founder and CRO of Fuck Cancer, a movement dedicated to the prevention, early detection and communication of cancer. Julie launched F*ck Cancer in 2009 to honor her mother’s legacy who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Julie’s international efforts began in 2010, throwing events across Canada and The United States. In 2014, Julie merged with Yael Cohen Braun’s Fuck Cancer, creating one unified non-profit.

At just 19-years old, Julie created F*ck Cancer with the goal of creating an organization to unify a generation of young adults who have been affected by the disease and raise funds towards cancer research. Starting as a 350-person party in Montreal, Fuck Cancer events quickly tripled in size, eventually spiraling into numerous events across North America as outlet for young people to connect and unite in the fight against cancer. Since inception, Julie raised over $200,000 for cancer research facilities, including Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation, Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, UCLA Comprehensive Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Alberta Cancer Foundation. In her role as Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Fuck Cancer, Julie oversees the charity’s fundraising efforts, expanding the events model allowing the charity to make a measurable impact in reducing cancer risk and improving early detection. Since 2010, Fuck Cancer has raised over $1.25 million collectively toward research and digital solutions to prevent cancer. Julie remains inspired and empowered by her mother’s ongoing legacy.

HEATHER KUN, MS PhD

HEATHER KUN, MS PhD

Executive Director

Heather Kun, MS PhD, is Executive Director of Fuck Cancer where she leads strategic programming to help prevent, detect and provide support to cancer patients and their families. She brings years of research, evaluation and health experience to the agency in order to better design programs with potential for impact in the cancer space. She is inspired by her mom’s chronic and brave battle with the diagnosis of Leukemia 20 years ago followed by a recent diagnosis of uterine cancer.

She is also principal and founder of HK Impact Advisors that partners with philanthropic, non‐profit and corporate clients to build strategy with maximum potential for impact.

Prior, Dr. Kun was Vice President of Research and Evaluation at the National Health Foundation (NHF) for over 6 years. She was responsible for overseeing the research and evaluation arm of the organization in addition to participating in development, operational and fundraising activities. She also oversaw all of the chronic disease prevention and management, patient safety, patient family centered care and other hospital/community clinic based programs.

Before working for NHF, Dr. Kun was an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stationed in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Acute Communicable Disease Control Branch. She has also worked as a consultant for various private family foundations and has led and participated in multiple large-scale quantitative and qualitative research projects specifically centered on immigrant health.

Dr. Kun received her doctorate degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Her dissertation work addressed health status and access to healthcare of farmworkers living along the eastern Mexico‐California border. Dr. Kun also holds an M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Sciences from Yale University.

JOANNE LEVY

JOANNE LEVY

COO

Coming from Viacom Media Networks where she was part of a global organization that created an in house digital boutique agency responsible for multi-platform strategies, concepts and technical solutions whose mission was to fuse marketing and innovation in order to connect brands to consumers. There, she served as Senior Director of Strategic Solutions specializing in ad products and integrated marketing. She worked with high profile brands such as MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. She also serves as CMO to join an elite group of entrepreneurs as the third partner in a full service creative agency called CCG. She is now responsible for strategy, oversight and project management focused on innovative products andservices, creating scalable technology solutions within various verticals. She also provides consultative services as it relates to deriving a functional business development strategy for high profile clients helping them to formulate strategies for optimized success. Her expertise includes general industry analysis for spotting trends and recommendations on opportunities in the marketplace by analyzing the current marketplace plus internal/external resources. She also specializes in strategic insight, product planning, marketing and related functions focused on analyzing the marketplace to identify and create a dynamic new product.